The Hobbit - producers reject animal mistreatment claims

The producers of
The Hobbit take the welfare of all animals very seriously
and have always pursued the highest standard of care for
animals in their charge. Any incidents that occurred that
were brought to their attention as regards to this care were
immediately investigated and appropriate action taken. This
includes hundreds of thousands of dollars that were spent on
upgrading housing and stable facilities in early 2011.

The producers completely reject the accusations that
twenty seven animals died due to mistreatment during the
making of the films. Extraordinary measures were taken to
make sure that animals were not used during action sequences
or any other sequence that might create undue stress for the
animals involved. Over fifty five per cent of all shots
using animals in The Hobbit are in fact computer generated;
this includes horses, ponies, rabbits, hedgehogs, birds,
deer, elk, mice, wild boars, and wolves.

The American
Humane Association (AHA) was on hand to monitor all use of
animals by the production. No animals died or were harmed on
set during filming.

We regret that some of these
accusations by wranglers who were dismissed from the film
over a year ago are only now being brought to our attention.
We are currently investigating these new allegations and are
attempting to speak with all parties involved to establish
the truth.

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